Hairpin holder and dispenser



Aug. 21, 1945. J. c. MORRELL 2,333,207

HAIRPIN HOLDER AND DISPENSER Filed Aug. 15, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Z2 25 I N19 jiffi? for.

Patented Aug. 21', 1945 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,383,207 HAIRPIN HOLDER AND DISPENSER J acque C. Morrell, Oak Park, Ill. Application August 15, 1941, Serial No. 407,038

Claims.

.The invention relates to an improved device for holding and dispensing hairpins and is more particularly directed to the type of the device described comprising means for positively and conveniently segregating one hairpin at a time from a multiplicity thereof with which the device is charged and dispensing the segregated pin.

One of the most annoying and time consuming tasks encountered by operators in beauty parlors is that of disentangling and segregating individual hairpins from a bulk supply of the same while conducting a permanent waving or other hairdressing operation in which large numbers of hairpins are used and inserted one by one into the customer's hair.

Devices intended to perform the same service as that of the device herein disclosed, but difl'ering in their construction and operation, have been previously proposed. However, all such prior devices which have come to my notice have been unreliable in operation in that they become jammed and, as a consequence, their difliculty of operation defeats their purpose of facilitating the beauty operator's task.

The invention herein disclosed obviates the dimculties encountered in prior devices of the same general class andis characterized by simplicity of construction and reliability of operation, whereby the hairpins can be quickly and conveniently dispensed from'a magazine singly, as required by the operator. s

The objects and the advantages of the invention and the features which distinguish it from the prior art will be apparent with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings and the following description thereof.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is an elevational view shown in longitudinal section of.a magazine type hairpin dispenser embodying the concepts of the invention.

Figure 2 is another longitudinal section of the upper end view of the sayze device.

of Figure 1 illustrating a modified form'of the device provided by the invention.

Figure 9 is an elevational view shown partially in longitudinal section illustrating another modi fled form of the magazine-type hairpin dispenser provided by the invention.

Figure 10 is another elevation shown partially in section of the device illustrated in Figure 9, the view illustrated in Figure 10 being taken along the line Ill-l0 in Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a full elevational view of the device illustrated in Figure 9.

Figure 12 is an upper end view of the device illustrated in Figure 9.

Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line l3--|3 in Figure 9.

Figures 14 and 15 are each fragmentary perspective views of another modified form of the device provided by the invention.

Referring now particularly to Figures 1 to 7 inclusive of the drawing, the magazine-type hairpin dispenser here illustrated comprises a narrow substantially box-like outer case, designated by the reference numeral "1.

r This case comprises front and back walls 2 and 3, side walls 4 and 5 and a bottom wall 6. Thecasing I is provided dispenser illustrated in Figure 1, this section why the reference numeral at its upper end with a top closure member I which is grooved and slidably engaged, as indicated at 8 in Figures 2 and 3, with the upper ends of the walls I and 5 of the case.

Upright guide members or posts 9 and Ill, disposed within casing i adjacent and substantially parallel to the walls 2, 3, I and 5, are rigidly secured at their lower ends to bottom wall 6 and extend therefrom to adjacent the upper end of the c e. These posts 9 and Ill serve as guide rails for the upwardly and downwardly movable hairpin carriage ll, which is slidably mounted on posts 9 and I0. Carriage ll substantially conforms in peripheral contour to the interior of the casing I and carries a, stack of hairpins designated I2. Member II and the stack of hairpins which it carries are urged upwardly by resilient means such as springs I3 Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the same Figure 8 is a fragmentary view similar to that disposed between member H and the bottoms B of the case. Latch members I4 and I5 are provided on the respective members H and 6 to retain member Ii, when desired, in its lowermost position for convenience in loading the device with hairpins. Loading is accomplished by dropping the pins down over the posts 9 and Ill after the top closure member 1 has been withdrawn from case I. Walls 2 and 3 are each preferably provided with a centrally disposed longitudinal slot l6 therethrough extending from adjacent the top to bearing against the inner site ends," project through the slots It for convenfence in manually forcing member downward against the action of springs i3.

At the upper end of case an ejecting member comprising. bar i8 is slidably mounted with its upper surface bearing against the undersurface of the top closure member 1 and with its sides surface of walls 4 and 5. A longitudinal recess I9 is provided in the lower side of bar l8 toreceive only the uppermost hairpin of the stack within thereceptacle, this hairpin being designated by the-reference numeral l2. The recess l9 extends from the front or leading edge of the slidable bar i8 to a short distance from its back or trailing edge so that a downwardly projecting portion 20 of the bar will engage the end of the prongs of the uppermost hairpin i2 when the latter is forced into recess i9 by the action of springs i3. A longitudinal slot 2! isv provided through the top closure memher 1 within which slot-the lug 22, secured to and projecting outwardly from bar i8, is adapted to slide. The pressure of the thumb or finger of the operator against lug 22 in a right-hand direction will force the hairpin ejecting bar toward wall 2 of the casing, causing the uppermost hairpin i2 to project from the casing through the opening 23 provided at the upper end of wall 2 so that this hairpin may be readily grasped by the operator and pulled from the casing. Bar i8 may then be returned to the position illustrated in Figure l by the pressure of the operators thumb or finger against lug 22 in a left-hand direction bringing the next hairpin of the stack into position to be ejected from the casing. This operation may be repeated until the entire supply of hairpins is exhausted, whereupon it may be recharged at the 1 operators convenience.

Preferably, as illustrated, in Figure the walls 4 and 5 adjacent wall 3 and the post 9 are so formed that the prongs of the hairpins in the stack are forced toward each other at their free ends, so that the prongs of the adjacent pins are retained in substantially parallel alignment, thus preventing crossing of the prongs and assisting to overcome the difficulty of jamming encountered in previous hairpin dispensing devices.

In Figure '7, the device illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 inclusive is shown secured-in place on the operators arm adjacent the wrist by means of a suitable strap or the like indicated at 25. This strap is attached to the casing in any convenient manner, not illustrated, and may be provided with a suitable buckle or clasp, not shown.

In the device illustrated in Figure 8, the con- 'wall of the case.' Thus,

provided with a recess 33 in its lower surface. like recess Is in Figure 1, uppermost hairpin 34 of the stack thereof provided within the case. This stack is not illustrated in Figure B but occupies the same position in the case as the stack of hairpins i2 shown in Figures 1 and 2. r The portion 35 of member 26 is like the portion 20 of member IS in Figure 1 and engages the ends of the prongs of hairpin 34, to propel the latter through slot 36 at the front of the case when member 26 is moved forward, thus projecting the uppermost hairpin from the case so that it may be grasped by the operator and removed.

Member 26 is drawn back from the forward position which it assumes in ejecting the hairpin to the position shown in Figure 8 by a tension member such as spring 31 disposed within a recess 38 provided in the back end of member 26, this spring being attached at one end to member 26 and attached at its. opposite end to the adjacent in the device shown in Figure 8, a spring return is provided for the hairpin ejecting member 26 and provisions for this feature comprise the essential difference between this device and that illustrated in the preceding figures.

Referring now to Figures 9 to 13 inclusive, the case or magazine, designated generally by the reference numeral 40 in Figures 9, 10 and 11, is of thesame general form as the cases and 25 of the preceding figures, except that a greater space is provided in the upper end of the case for the slidably mounted hairpin ejecting member 4|. The guide posts42 and 43 in Figure 9 are substantially the same as the guide posts 9 and Ill in Figure l and serve the same purpose. Although not illustrated in Figures 9 to 13 inclusive, the construction within the lower portion of the case may be substantially the same as that shown in Figure 1. V

The upper cover member 44 in Figures 9 to 13 inclusive is removable from the case, being slidably joined thereto as indicated at 45 in Figures 10 and 11. The hairpin ejecting member 4| is slidably mounted within cover plate 44 and a recess 46 is provided in the lower face of memstruction of the magazine or case, designated in general by the reference numeral 25, is substantially the same as that of case I illustrated in the preceding figures except that a somewhat deeper space is provided at the upper end of the case for the reception of the hairpin ejecting member 28 which replaces member 8 of the device shown in the preceding figures. Posts 21 and 28 of Figure 8 are similar to posts 9 and ID of Figure 1 and the construction within the lower portion of the case, which-is cut away in Figure 8, may be the same or similar to that shown in Figure l.

The top closure member 29 of Figure 8 is like the top closure member 1 of the device shown in the preceding figures and is provided with a slot 3| similar to slot 2| inFigure 1 and a lug 32 similar to lug 22 of Figure l.

The hairpin ejecting member 26 of Figure 8 is her 4| for the reception of the uppermost hairpin 41 of a stack thereof, not illustrated, which occupies the same position within the case as the stack of hairpins l2 shown in Figures 1 and 2. The portion 39 of member 4| ,at the back of the recess,- engages the prongs of the uppermost hairpin 41 to move the latter through opening 23' to the projecting position indicated in Figure 9 when member 4| is moved to the right. The hairpin 41 may then be readily grasped by the operator'and drawn from the case.

A toothed thumb wheel 48, rotatably mounted on cover 44 and projecting through its top wall, engages a, rack 49 provided along member 4| so that when thumb wheel 48 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, member 4| is moved to the right to eject hairpin 41. Upon releasing thumb wheel 48, member 4| is returned to the position shown in Figure 9 by the action of a, suitable compression member such as spring 50 which is disposed within cover 44 and engages the front face of member 4| and the front wall of the cover at its opposite ends, as illustrated in Figures 9 and 13.-

In the fragmentary perspective views of the modified form of hairpin dispensing device illustrated by Figures 14 and 15, a case or magazine, indicated generally \by the reference numeral 6|,

for the reception of the is provided. The interior construction of the lower portion of case 6| may be substantially the same as that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 where- :by the stack of hairpins B2 is urged upward so that the uppermost pin 62' bears against the under-surface of the top wall of cover plate 83, which closes the top of the case except at the end adjacent the head or bent portion of the hairpins. The cover 63 is slidably engaged with the side walls of the case, as indicated at 54, so that it may be readily removed therefrom to facilitate filling the case with hairpins.

An opening, the edges of which are indicated at 65, is provided at the top of one of the side walls of the case adjacent the front wall thereof and a, member 66, substantially corresponding in contour to this opening, but projecting somewhat above the upper edges of the case and carrying a wedge shaped member 61 along its top edge, is

hinged to the case along the back edge of opening 65, as indicated at 68. Member 66 is urged to an open'position, such aS shown in Figure 14,

by suitable means such as spring 69 at the hinge.

The uppermost hairpin 82' of the stack, disposed within the case, is received in a recess 10 provided within cover 63, above the upper edge of the case, this recess being of a depth substantially corresponding to the diameter of the hairpin wire so that the uppermost hairpin 62' lies substantially entirely above the upper edge of the case and the next adjacent hairpin of the stack rises substantially entirely beneath the upper edge of the case.

The edge .H of wedge 61 is sufficiently narrow or sharp that it enters the groove between the uppermost and the next adjacent hairpin of the stack when pressure is applied by the thumb or finger of the operator against member 66 in a direction opposed to the urging of spring 69. Thus, the wedge 81 is forced from approximately individually segregating said pins from said supply, comprising a case adapted to receive and retain a stack of hairpins in superimposed rela-? tion, means carrying said stack and urging the same towardone end of the case and means, in- \cluding a wedge, and hingedly mounted on the case adjacent said one end thereof, said wedge being so positioned with reference to the stack that it is forced between the outermost pin thereof and the next adjacent pin by inward movement of the hinged member, whereby to lift one end of said outermost pin and move it through an adjacent discharge opening provided in the case, into a position at which it can bereadily grasped by the operator for removal from the case.

2. A hairpin dispenser comprising, in combination, a case adapted to receive a stack of hairpins, aimember carrying said stack and slidably mounted within the case on spaced posts disposed adjacent opposite ends of the pins and extendv ing lengthwise of the stack between the prongs of 'ably secured to the case and comprising a subthe position illustrated in Figure 14 to approximately the position illustrated in Figure 15 and slightly bends the head end of the uppermost hairpin 62' upwardly from the remaining hairpins of the stack to approximately ,the position illustrated in Figure 15. This bending is not sufflcient to permanently deform the hairpin but is sufficient to segregate it from the rest of the stack so that it may be readily grasped by the operator and drawn from the case. When member 86 is released it is retumedby spring 69 to approximately the position illustrated in Figure 14 and the hairpin which is now the uppermost of the stack is urged into the recess 10 of the cover 63 in a position to be segregated from the. rest of the stack in the same manner. as previously described.

It is, of course, to be understood that theremay be variations within the broad scope of my invention e. g., I may employ forms or frames as guides for the hairpins instead of guide pins as illustrated in combination with the carriage for forcing the pins upwardly. I may also have various types of cases e. g., those which may be removed from a frame as well .as fixed cases like those illustrated. Also, the cases may be charged with the hairpins from the top orside and may have corresponding doors or covers. The examples shown as well as these referred to here are, therefore, merely illustrative of the broad scope and spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A device for storing a supply ,of hairpins stantially wedge-shaped portion disposed adjacent one end of the outermost pin of the stack and adapted to lift said outermost pin from the remaining pins of the stack through said opening.

4. A hairpin dispenser comprising, in combination, a case adapted to receive a stack of hairpins, means carrying said stack and urging the same toward an end wall of the case through which a discharge opening for the pins is provided', a member movablysecured to the case and comprising a substantially wedge-shaped portion so positioned with reference to the stack and to said opening that it may be forced between the outermost pin of the stack and the next adjacent pin, by movement of said member, whereby to lift one end of said outermost pin through said opening into a position at which it can be readily grasped by the operator for removal from the case.

5. A hairpin dispenser comprising, in combination, a case adapted toreceive a stack of hairpins, a member carrying said stack and slidably mounted within the case on spaced posts disposed adjacent opposite ends of the pins and ex tending lengthwise of the stack between the prongs of the pins, means urging said carrier member and said stack toward an end wall of the case, and means for ejecting the outermost pin of the stack adjacent said end wall from the case through an opening provided in the case adjacent one end of said pin, the side walls of the case adjacent the free ends of the pins being so formed and the post adjacent said free ends of said pins being of such size that the prongs of the pins are forced toward each other at their free ends, whereby to prevent crossing of the prongs of the pins and keep them in substantially parallel alignment.

JACQUE G. MORRELL. 

